Leigh Solomon Pugliano | Founder, President & CEO
Leigh Solomon Pugliano is an entrepreneur, musician, educator, and experienced strategist who has helped to launch and scale businesses, and supported hundreds of founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Leigh also provides organizational development support to nonprofit organizations through consulting, strategic planning, developing and implementing solutions specifically designed for organizations to increase their impact, effectiveness, and move toward sustainability.
For over a decade, Leigh served as Principal Strategist at Straightforward Consulting, a consulting and strategy firm she founded in 2011. Straightforward specialized in strengthen the clients programs, products, and services, as well as developing strategies to increase productivity, and improve overall operational strength. Straightforward managed and/or consulted on creative, strategic, and operational projects and supported organizations in building great places to work. People, place, and process are the tenets that guide Leigh’s work and her strategies are centered around our values of justice, equity, access, and inclusion, with great emphasis on leadership, organizational effectiveness, and community engagement and advancement. Leigh is also the Founder and Director of Barrels to Beethoven, and Co-Founder of Limelight Creative. Leigh has received several awards and recognition for her work, including Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40, Women in Business, The World Affairs Council Illuminate Award, and the YWCA Equity Award for Bridge Builder. Leigh is originally from Guyana, South America, and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with her husband and three daughters.
In her newest role as President & CEO of the Equity | Impact Center, Leigh intends to accelerate founders and leaders and. advance the work of social justice and. nonprofit organizations driving equitable systems change throughout the United States.
Equity | Impact Center Program & Operations Support Team:
Rachel Amanor, Community Data Scientist
Jason McKoy, Creative Director
Bria Thomas, Administrative Operations
Equity | Impact Center
Board of Directors and Advisors
Laura N.K. Miller, Board Chair
Sean Gray, Board of Directors
Dr. Maria Abunto, Board of Directors
Eileen Forrester, Advisory Board
Alydia Thomas, Advisory Board
David-Michael Pugliano, Advisory Board
Alice Beckett-Rumberger, Board of Directors